“Got it.” Luc repositioned a chair closer to the bed. He tried not to think about how beautiful she looked.
Priscilla reclined on top of the blankets, her shoulders and head propped up with pillows.
“Good.” Dr. Devins turned off the overhead light, leaving the room bathed in the light of a single bedside lamp. “Priscilla, would you be comfortable if Luc held your hand during the session? I often find that having physical contact with someone close, or, in your case, someone you’re trying to remember, is helpful.”
Luc looked down at Priscilla, who puckered her brow. For some reason, he hoped she’d say yes.
When she nodded, he didn’t hesitate to reach for her left hand. No wedding ring. Neither one of them had had a ring when they tied the knot—that had been first on his to-do list the following day. He’d planned to purchase two inexpensive gold bands.
Now he lightly held her bare hand, reveling in the feel of her soft skin against his own palm. Lord, let this hypnosis jog her memory about that night. Her disconnected past bothered him more than he let on, but there were bigger issues at stake, such as Priscilla’s need to recall more details about the shooting that could help federal agents recapture Culvert.
Priscilla hadn’t looked at him for more than a few seconds since their argument last night. Today she’d been standoffish around him. He only hoped the memories of those missing hours—hours that included marrying him—would return full force.
Dr. Devins settled into the chair to Priscilla’s right. “Ready?”
Priscilla nodded.
“Good. Now I want you to relax.” Dr. Devins began taking Priscilla through some relaxation methods, instructing her to feel the tension draining from her body.
If Luc was any judge, it wasn’t working. Priscilla’s body stayed as rigid as a board. He imagined she was trying, but her inability to unwind was evidenced by her unyielding hand.
Dr. Devins leaned forward and touched her arm. “Priscilla.”
Her eyes flew open. “Yes?”
“You’re having a hard time relaxing.” Dr. Devins didn’t put it as a question to her. “Is it because you’re afraid it won’t work or that the hypnosis will reveal more than you would like? Those are two very common concerns.”
She bit her lip, a gesture Luc had noted previously when she was fearful. “I didn’t remember anything the first time I tried this. I want it to work but I can’t seem to quiet my mind. Everything’s all jumbled up inside.” She removed her hand from Luc’s and brushed her hair away from her forehead.
“Should I go?” Luc didn’t want to leave, but if his being there meant she couldn’t relax enough to give hypnosis a try, then he would.
“Do you want Luc to go?” Dr. Devins continued to address Priscilla in a gentle voice. “Are you concerned you might disappoint him if you don’t remember meeting and marrying him?”
Priscilla scrunched up her nose. “I don’t know. I suppose it’s possible.”
Luc knew just how she felt. He’d entered the hair salon to confront her about leaving him and to ask for an annulment. Learning that she’d witnessed a horrific shooting and had blanked out most of the hours surrounding the incident had put a new spin on the anger and hurt he’d wrestled with over the years.
He had never told anyone in his family about his marriage—how could he when he couldn’t produce a bride?—but he had wanted to tell his grandparents, given his father’s parents had had a whirlwind romance of their own. His own parents had had a short courtship as well.
What he hadn’t explained to Priscilla was that they weren’t complete strangers. As fifteen-year-olds, they, along with a dozen or so other teens and adults, had spent two weeks together as part of a summer mission trip to the Navajo Nation Reservation in Arizona. Helping to build a community center and playing soccer with the reservation kids had forged a bond between them. He had recognized her instantly when he saw her again at the Last Chance Casino, and she had remembered him as well. With everything that had happened over the past couple of days, Luc hadn’t had time to discuss that mission trip with Priscilla.